Grammar Practice: to + Verb or -ing

to + Verb or -ing?

Practice common verbs that are followed by to + verb or by the -ing form.

Easy Grammar Explanation

Some English verbs are followed by to + verb. Other verbs are followed by the -ing form. You need to learn them as small groups.

Verbs followed by to + verb:

  • hope to — I hope to finish soon.
    [Ich hoffe, bald fertig zu sein.]
  • want to — She wants to learn English.
    [Sie möchte Englisch lernen.]
  • decide to — They decided to leave early.
    [Sie beschlossen, früh zu gehen.]
  • plan to — We plan to visit London.
    [Wir planen, London zu besuchen.]
  • need to — He needs to call the office.
    [Er muss im Büro anrufen.]

Verbs followed by -ing:

  • enjoy + -ing — I enjoy reading.
    [Ich lese gern.]
  • avoid + -ing — She avoids driving at night.
    [Sie vermeidet es, nachts Auto zu fahren.]
  • finish + -ing — He finished writing the report.
    [Er hat den Bericht fertig geschrieben.]
  • keep + -ing — They keep practising.
    [Sie üben weiter.]
  • suggest + -ing — I suggest starting early.
    [Ich schlage vor, früh anzufangen.]
Score: 0 / 25
1. She hopes ______ dinner before six.
a) to prepare b) preparing
[Sie hofft, das Abendessen vor sechs Uhr vorzubereiten.]
2. He enjoys ______ emails in the morning.
a) to answer b) answering
[Er beantwortet morgens gern E-Mails.]
3. They want ______ the office today.
a) to clean b) cleaning
[Sie wollen heute das Büro reinigen.]
4. I avoid ______ long reports late at night.
a) to write b) writing
[Ich vermeide es, spät abends lange Berichte zu schreiben.]
5. She decided ______ the customer immediately.
a) helping b) to help
[Sie entschied sich, dem Kunden sofort zu helfen.]
6. We finished ______ the meeting room.
a) preparing b) to prepare
[Wir haben die Vorbereitung des Besprechungsraums beendet.]
7. Tom plans ______ his bike this weekend.
a) repairing b) to repair
[Tom plant, sein Fahrrad dieses Wochenende zu reparieren.]
8. The children keep ______ their homework carefully.
a) doing b) to do
[Die Kinder machen ihre Hausaufgaben weiterhin sorgfältig.]
9. The manager needs ______ the figures again.
a) to check b) checking
[Der Manager muss die Zahlen noch einmal überprüfen.]
10. I suggest ______ English for ten minutes every day.
a) to learn b) learning
[Ich schlage vor, jeden Tag zehn Minuten Englisch zu lernen.]
11. She wants ______ coffee for everyone.
a) to make b) making
[Sie möchte Kaffee für alle machen.]
12. He enjoys ______ the room.
a) to paint b) painting
[Er streicht das Zimmer gern.]
13. They hope ______ their holiday soon.
a) planning b) to plan
[Sie hoffen, ihren Urlaub bald zu planen.]
14. We avoid ______ important events too late.
a) organizing b) to organize
[Wir vermeiden es, wichtige Veranstaltungen zu spät zu organisieren.]
15. She decided ______ for her keys.
a) to look b) looking
[Sie entschied sich, nach ihren Schlüsseln zu suchen.]
16. He finished ______ to the client.
a) to talk b) talking
[Er beendete das Gespräch mit dem Kunden.]
17. The team needs ______ the problem quickly.
a) to solve b) solving
[Das Team muss das Problem schnell lösen.]
18. I keep ______ the contract carefully.
a) to read b) reading
[Ich lese den Vertrag immer wieder sorgfältig.]
19. She plans ______ the dishes after dinner.
a) to wash b) washing
[Sie plant, das Geschirr nach dem Abendessen zu spülen.]
20. They suggest ______ the furniture tomorrow.
a) to move b) moving
[Sie schlagen vor, die Möbel morgen zu bewegen.]
21. He hopes ______ the tickets online.
a) booking b) to book
[Er hofft, die Tickets online zu buchen.]
22. We enjoy ______ the classroom.
a) decorating b) to decorate
[Wir dekorieren das Klassenzimmer gern.]
23. She wants ______ for her exam.
a) studying b) to study
[Sie möchte für ihre Prüfung lernen.]
24. The workers finished ______ the truck.
a) loading b) to load
[Die Arbeiter haben das Beladen des Lkw beendet.]
25. I need ______ my presentation before Monday.
a) preparing b) to prepare
[Ich muss meine Präsentation vor Montag vorbereiten.]
Current Score: 0 / 25